Aston Martin DBS Superleggera unveiled with 715 hp

Aston Martin is replacing the long-serving Vanquish at the apex of its lineup with the new DBS Superleggera. With its latest high-performance GT model, Gaydon is combining two illustrious nameplates – its own DBS and Superleggera from Italian coachbuilder Touring (superleggera means “super lightweight” in Italian).

Essentially a DB11 turned up to, well, 11, the DBS Superleggera continues to be powered by a 5.2 litre twin-turbocharged V12, but one that has been fettled to produce 715 hp at 6,500 rpm and a massive 900 Nm of torque between 1,800 and 5,000 rpm. That’s 85 hp and 200 Nm more than the already hardened DB11 AMR.

All that is sent to a ZF eight-speed automatic transaxle to the rear wheels. The performance figures are suitably epic as a result – zero to 100 km/h is done and dusted in just 3.4 seconds, and the speedo needle will swing all the way to 340 km/h.

Under the skin is an evolution of the DB11’s lightweight bonded aluminium structure, suspended by forged double wishbones at the front and a multilink setup at the rear. Adaptive damping, a mechanical limited-slip differential and torque vectoring by braking help keep all that performance in check, as do the carbon ceramic brakes and the bespoke Pirelli tyres wrapped around 21-inch forged alloy wheels.

The muscular exterior has been entirely sculpted using carbon fibre. At the front, the large honeycomb grille is flanked by slimmer LED headlights, while elongated power bulges and flared bonnet vents give the car added aggression. Along the side, the drawn-in flanks emphasise the broad front shoulders and prominent rear haunches; moving to the rear, you’ll find the slim tail light signature first seen on the Vantage.

It’s not all for show – the front splitter and air dam accelerate airflow under the car and help cool the brakes, and the deeper side strakes and the “curlicue” vents in the front fenders draw air from the front wheel arches, reducing lift and aiding high-speed stability. An enhanced “aeroblade” and an F1-style double diffuser help generate additional downforce – up to 180 kg of the stuff at top speed – without any additional drag.

On the inside, you’ll find heavily sculpted Sport Plus seats upholstered in leather and Alcantara, along with a Sport Plus steering wheel with a flat top and bottom. As usual, there’s the Mercedes-Benz Comand-derived infotainment system as standard, using a freestanding centre display and a rotary controller. Keyless entry, a tyre pressure monitoring system, a 360-degree camera and Park Assist also come standard.

And the price? It certainly isn’t cheap, starting at a cool £225,000 (RM1.2 million).